"Redemptive suffering lies at the heart of the Christian way, and like the saint who emulates the Master by taking up his cross, Frodo is the wounded hero. Although he has saved the Shire, he cannot stay and enjoy it. As he departs for the Grey Havens, he explains to a tearful Sam why he can’t stay in the Shire. "I have been too deeply hurt, Sam. I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger. Someone has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them." In giving us a humble hero, Tolkien reminds us that it is the foolish things of God that overturn the wisdom of the world. Things are not what they seem. The small ones turn out to be mighty, while the mighty are fallen. It is the secret agents of the world who hold the key to final victory. The hidden soul who overturns the power of evil is the essential theme of The Lord of the Rings, and this theme is echoed in the Gospel and in the little saint of Lisieux, who writes, "To find a thing hidden, we must be hidden ourselves; so our life must be a mystery." The triumph of the halfling Frodo is an inspiration to every soul who attempts his little way. Each one who does can be encouraged by the words of Elrond: "The road must be trod, but it will be very hard, and neither strength nor wisdom will carry us far upon it. This quest may be attempted by the weak with as much hope as the strong. Yet such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world. Small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere.
Posted on: Sat, 05 Oct 2013 23:37:07 +0000
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